Method of connector assembly



Aug. 8, 1939. M ALDEN ME'ITHOD OF CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Original Filed May8, 1935 INVEJTOR MzZZomA idem I A lORNEY Patented Aug. 8,1939

PATENT oFF -cs METHOD OF CONNECTOR ASSEDIBLY MiltonAlden, Brockton,Mass.

Original application May a, 1933, semi No. I 7

669,826, now Patent No. 2,125,708, dated august 2, 1938.

Divided and this application March 22, 1938, Serial No. 197,532

Claims. (Cl.29-155.55)

This application is a division from my application Serial No. 669,826filed May '8, 1933, for an Electrical connector now Patent Number2,125,- 708, granted August 2, 1938.

5 This invention relates to a method for thefassembly of an electricalcontact and an insulating body housing the same. More particularly itre- .lates to a method'for assembling a contact of the character setforth in my application above referred to, in combination with'a socketbody into the material of which the contact is partly- Another object isto provide an assembly method which 'can be carried out by automatic orsemi-automatic machinery, and which may be simultaneously practiced uponall .the contactsand wiresof a socket, which frequently, especially inthe radio art, combines in a single structure as many as eight or tensuch contacts and wires, although I do not limit this invention to anyspecific number of contacts or wires, as it so maybe practiced upon anynumber 01' such elements.

As an illustration of one way oi. carrying out the practice of thisinvention, 1' herein describe the invention as applied to a specificform of contact, and socket body, but it is tobe underand not exclusive.

In this illustrative description, I show an in-- sulating body, having anumber. of recesses each stood that this description is merelyillustrative,

4o closed at one end and open at the other end for the reception thereinof a tube or other plug prong. Adjacent each of such recesses is apassage open at both ends of the body and adapted to receive one, end oian insulated con-- ductor oi the cord or cable connecting to the body.In eachrecess is secured a single conducting strip serving as aresilient contact'along orie wall of the recess and having a lug at itsouter end connected tothetip oi the adjacent 5o conductor alongside theentrance to the recess.

The inner end of the contact strip is wedged intothe bottom of therecess so as'to bite into the substance of the insulating body at-thatpoint.

Fig. 1 is an ,end .view .and partial section of oneform of body andcontact which may be used'in practicing ,my invention, showingcontacts.in some of the recesses and-other recesses without contacts.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section on the plane of v the line 2-2 of Fig.1, butomitting the contact '5 and conductor.

. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the plane 'of the line ,3-3 ofFig. 1. v

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the contact members beforeassembling with the wire 10 and socket body. 2

Fig. 5 is a side view and partial section showing some of the contactmembers partly assembled with their conductors. I,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section of the assembly 15 at the completion ofthe operation, showing one of the contacts, a conductor connectedthereto, and an assembly tool still in place within the in sulatingbody.

' vReferring now to the form of elements here 20 shown, which mayillustratively be used to describe my invention, the body i0 may be ofany l3. These ledges extend from the bottom or near the bottom of eachrecess to points near the outer end of the corresponding recess.

. Each contact and terminal member is formed 35 of 'a single strip ofmetal of suitable resilient character having a contact portion l5 whichis preferably somewhat bowed and a foot l6 adapted to be wedged intoarecess l'l so that each corner II can dig-into the insulating material40.

and serve as a means of anchorage for the .contact. Each'recess is madeenough larger than the tool ll so as to allow for certain variations inthe size or angle .of entry of the tool and for the spring actionoi thecontact I. The bowed por- 45 tlon I! of each contact is offset somewhatfrom the lower portion I! adjacent the foot It so as to provide room forthe resilient action of the .spring.

The conductor 20 of any suitable type is provided with a covering. ofinsulation and the- I passage I3 is made large enough to accommodatethis conductor and its insulation.

The strip-Ii is provided with a lug 22 having perforationv or recess!)into'which'the t!) (of l6 2 into place simultaneously by placingthe'body.

the conductor may be inserted and soldered or otherwise suitablysecured. The ends of all the wires and lugs may be completely covered byan insulating disc 25 held snugly within the flange 26 and perforated toreceive the tube or other prongs.

' The parts may be assembled as shown in Figs. 5* and 6. That is, theconductors may be inserted through the reception passages with theirtips projecting somewhat beyond the end oi the body, as shown in Fig. 5.The contact strips are then insertedin theirrespective recesses and theends of the conductors soldered to the lugs 61 the contacts. Thisconstruction and assembly method permits of the convenient simultaneoussoldering of all of the conductors to their respective contact lugs.When the conductors have been soldered the contact strips may allbeforced on a bed l8 and inserting suitable plungers, as illustrated bytool l8, so that the corners I 1 of the contact strips are wedged intothe adjacent walls of the respective recesses. This wedging action is'suflicient to preventthe contacts from being pulled out when the-tooll8 or the prongs of atube or plug are withdrawn, during assembly or.during later usage of the socket assembly.

It should be understood that the shape of the contact portion l5 may bealtered or modified in any suitable manner, for instance, toincreasetnestrength or rippingquality of the contact according to wellknown methods, and yet the assembly can beperformed according to myinvention.

By the terms "front or forward end or side I refer to theportion of heconnector into-which a plug is inserted, an by the terms rear" or backportion I refer to that portion of the connector disposed oppositely tn-"the "front end.

While I haveillustratediihy invention by"de-' 'scribinga specificcontact-and body, yet it is to 'be understood that it is applicable tothe assembly of any type oi, contact within a suitable recess, where thecontact possesses a lateral extension at its end, whiclrextension isforced into biting engagement with a wall of the recess, by theinsertion or a tool or plunger into the recess which will I bring aboutsuch biting engagement.

I claim:

1. A method of assembling a socket body having an aperture extendingcompletely there-' through and alsohaving another bottomed aper- 1 ture,a contact with an acutely bent projection at one end and a projectionextending substantially .at rlght'angles at the other end and anelectrical wire, including the steps of inserting said wire through saidopen apertureso that it projects therefrom at one end thereof, partlyinserting stantially completely into said bottomed a erture,

saidcontact into said bottomed'aperture so that the right angledprojection ofsaid contact-is in contact with'said wire, mechanicallyfastening together said wire and said'right angled projection, pullingsaid wireiso as to move said contact sub and securing it therein andbending out, said acutely bent projection of said contact so that itbites into said socket body and thereby causes said contact to be lockedinto said aperture;

2. The method according to claim 1, further characterized in that aplurality of wires and a plurality of coritact projections aremechanically fastened together'with solder by asingle opera-.

tion, wherein said solder in a molten state is simultaneously applied toa plurality of junction points of said wires'and said contactprojections,

each junction pointcomprising at least one wire and a single contactprojection.

3. The method of assembling a socket body having a passage extendingcompletely there-' through and also having a bottomed recess alongsideof said passage, a contact with a bent projection at its rear end and awire anchorage at its front end and a conductor wire, including thesteps of inserting said wire through said open passage so that itprojects therefrom at the front thereof, securing the end of the wire tosaid wire anchorage,.inserting the bent projection of said contact intosaid recess,'moving said wire and said contact to insert said contactsubstantially completely into said bottomed recess, and bending out saidbent projection of said contact in a directionsubstantially transverseto the longitudinal axis ofsaid bottomed recess, sothat it engagesa'wall in the. recess of said socket body and thereby causes saidcontact to be locked into said recess.

4. The method of attaching a conductor wire to the front end of acontact for a plug prong which contact hasa foot bent at an angle atits'rear end and inserting the contact into an insulating socket bodyhaving a passage for a wire through thebody and a recess for a contactand prong. alongside of the passage which comprises inserting the end ofthelconductor wire into-the passage from the rear of the body,projecting saidend of the wire from the frontend of the passage,securing the end of the wire to the-front end of they contact, pullingthe conductor wire back in its passage-and forcingthe foot of thecontact into' its recess so that said foot shall lie substantiallytransversely of said recess, and securing it there- 5. The method ofmounting a contact having a bent-over foot at its rear end andaconnected conductor wire substantially parallel with the 'main part ofthe contact in an insulating socket body having apassage through thebody and a recess alongside of the'passage which comprises mechanicallyand electrically connecting the front end of the contact to the tipiofthe wire, drawing the wire along the passage and inserting the rear endof the contact in the recess and forcing the bentoyer foot into thebottom, of the recess so that it assumes a p'odtion substantiallytransverse to the longitudinal axis of said recess

